Mary Tyler "Molly" Ivins (August 30, 1944 – January 31, 2007) was a populist American newspaper columnist, political commentator, humorist and bestselling author from Austin, Texas.

Ivins was born in Monterey, California and raised in Houston, Texas.

She graduated from St. John's School. In high school, she was active in extracurricular activities, including the yearbook staff. She had her first pieces of journalism published in The Review, the official student newspaper of St. John's School, though she never wrote any political columns, as would become her specialty later in life. She later became co-editor of the arts and culture section. In addition, she frequently participated in theater productions and earned a lifetime membership to Johnnycake, the drama club.